Calendar of Events

The African American Experiences in the Smokies: Searching,
August 2, 2023 @ 12:00 p.m., East Tennessee Historical Society.

In 2018, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) started the African American Experiences in the Smokies (AAES) project, which focuses on the overlooked history of African Americans in the Smokies and Southern Appalachia, a remote and socio-economically challenged region in the 1800s. Antoine Fletcher will discuss the broad goals of the project, as well as the specific focuses currently.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

It's finally back! We are excited to announce the return of the beloved concert series Tennessee Shines presented by WDVX. After a legendary run from 2008-2011, we’re delighted for this event series to return as a quarterly concert on the Bijou stage - highlighting up-and-coming artists.

Our first Tennessee Shines event of 2023 will be held Wednesday, August 2, hosted by Grammy-winning songwriter Jim Lauderdale, featuring Willi Carlisle, Tommy Prine, The Local Honeys, and more!

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

7/28 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew
7/29 • Beetles, Bees, & Butterflies: Oh My!
7/29 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare *Abridged
7/30 • Self Care Sunday Yoga with Hope Irwin
7/30 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew (Matinee)
7/30 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew
8/1 • Big Fun Tuesdays at Mead's Quarry: Game Night
8/2 • Ijams Hummingbird Festival Bird Nerd Speaker Series: The Birds of Seven Islands: A Walk and Talk with Clare Dattilo
8/3 • Museum of Infinite Outcomes Presents SIGHTSEERS
8/3 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew

2915 Island Home Ave., Knoxville, TN 37920
865-577-4717 or https://www.ijams.org/

The Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, Asian Culture Center of Tennessee, Clayton Center for the Arts, and the Japan Foundation will co-present “The Superlative Artistry of Japan Exhibition” at the DENSO Gallery, Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville College, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804.

What is "Superlative Artistry?" Superlative Artistry refers to a creative skill or ability of the highest quality or degree. Through this exhibition, we intend to introduce Japan's creative culture, which honors craftsmanship and devotion towards the production processes. This traveling exhibition has compiled over 30 works that emphasize highly skilled techniques, ingenious expressions and concepts, and a high level of perfection.

We hope that through this exhibition, the visitors can experience Japan’s creative culture and monozukuri (literally translated to “the making of things”) spirit through this theme of Superlative Artistry. Starting with craft works from the Meiji era (1868-1912), this exhibition features items across a wide range of genres, including contemporary art, craft works, food samples, and shokugan (small toys sold with candy).

Please join us at the DENSO Gallery, Clayton Center for the Arts to celebrate the Japanese spirit of monozukuri through this encounter with Superlative Artistry.

This exhibition is free and open to the public. Walk-ins are welcome. The exhibition will be available for viewings from July 26 to August 11, 2023. Clayton Center for the Arts will be open to the public from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/culture/exhibit/traveling/superlative_artistry.html
https://www.knoxasianfestival.com/

Fri. Jul 21st 2023, 7:30 pm
Sat. Jul 22nd 2023, 7:30 pm
Sun. Jul 23rd 2023, 3:00 pm
Thu. Jul 27th 2023, 7:30 pm
Fri. Jul 28th 2023, 7:30 pm
Sat. Jul 29th 2023, 7:30 pm
Sun. Jul 30th 2023, 3:00 pm
Thu. Aug 3rd 2023, 7:30 pm
Fri. Aug 4th 2023, 7:30 pm
Sat. Aug 5th 2023, 7:30 pm
Sun. Aug 6th 2023, 3:00 pm

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. As the weather turns and the group is cut off from the mainland, the bloodbath begins and one by one they are brutally murdered in accordance with the lines of a sinister nursery rhyme.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

The Tennessee Stage Company presents its 33rd Shakespeare Festival, now renamed Knoxville Shakespeare and performing at Ijams Nature Center where there is room for the audience to spread out and observe proper social distancing while being able to enjoy the outdoor performances which will feature a season of comedies, Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew and the outrageous comedy of The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

The performances will be held in the open field in front of the Visitors Center of Ijams Nature Center, located at 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920, just a short drive from downtown. There is an indoor space at Ijams Nature Center where performances will move in case of rain and where the matinees will be performed. Reservations and in-person ticket cost will be $15 with a four pack for families offering a 15% discount. Tickets are on sale now at www.Ijams.org/shakespeare

TAMING OF THE SHREW
July 20 22, 28, 30, Aug. 3, 5, 11, 13
7:30 pm nightly outdoors at Ijams Nature Center
Sunday, July 30, 2:00 pm

Suitors are lined up to court the young and beautiful Bianca – daughter of Baptista Minola of Padua. However, Baptista is determined that her older sister, Katherina, known as “Kate the Cursed” for her wild temper must be married first. No man is Padua is willing to court the willful Katherine, until Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona in search of a suitable wife, arrives and sets out to woo her with a vengeance – and does. In this, the original comedic battle of the sexes, beauty and brawn vie for love in a true war of wills, wits and words: Come on and kiss me Kate!”

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Abridged)
July 21, 23, 27. 29. August 4, 6, 10, 12
Sunday, August 6, 2:00pm

Three actors, Thirty Six Plays, 90 minutes. Don’t try this at home!

For further information please contact the Tennessee Stage Company at 865-546-4280.
https://tennesseestage.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TNStageCo

“Dance of the Mythmakers” is the third and final exhibition in the 2023 Summer Alumni Exhibition Series in Pellissippi State Community College’s Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery. The show features work by Kevin Krieps and Jana Ghezawi. Krieps earned a certificate for Visual Communication Graphic Design from Pellissippi State in summer 2016, while Ghezawi graduated from Pellissippi State in Spring 2019 with an Associate of Arts in Foreign Language. Both went on to finish their studies at the University of Tennessee.

“Krieps’ and Ghezawi’s work is a combination of traditional pop-influenced painting along with installation,” said Professor Herb Rieth, who curated the exhibit. “There is a strong component of goofy, noodley fun, mystery and, as stated in the title, Mythmaking.”

“Dance of the Mythmakers” will be on display through Friday, Aug. 11, with a closing reception with the artists tentatively planned for 4 p.m. Thursday, July 27.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and all exhibits are free and open to the public.
Pellissippi State | 865.694.6638 | marketing@pstcc.edu | www.pstcc.edu
10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37933

In the MAIN GALLERY with "Before I Forget" by Haley Takahashi (Fort Collins, CO) in the PROJECT SPACE
Reception Fri July 14, 5-8 PM

For Selections from the Collection of Sylvia and Jan Peters, ten original prints and works on paper have been chosen to illustrate the breadth of the Peters’ collected works. These have been curated from amongst many hundreds in their collection and this exhibition features works by Black American artists including Radcliffe Bailey, Romare Bearden, Sylvester Britton, Elizabeth Catlett, Joseph Delaney, Fred Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Steve Prince, Therman Statom, and Steve Walker. The Sylvia and Jan Peters Collection is itself a gathering of objects, paintings and sculptures that represents their interest in the creative endeavors of Black Americans from the WPA Period to the present. They regard their home as a place that allows them to live among inspiring works of art that they can experience everyday. For them, it is a regular reminder of the importance of creativity by Black artists. Sylvia Peters states, “The Peters are happy to share these works with Knoxville area art lovers. We feel that everyone who sees them will recognize how art can engage, illustrate processes, and inspire people to love the creative force of art.” Tri-Star Arts is honored to present Selections from the Collection of Sylvia and Jan Peters and highlight the gravity and power of their holdings. After three decades in Knoxville, the Peters have made an indelible mark and continue to advocate for the impact of modern and contemporary art upon life today.

Tri-Star Arts is also pleased to present the next exhibition in their Golden Chain Gallery project space located at the historic Candoro Marble Building. Before I Forget by Haley Takahashi (Fort Collins, CO, USA) opens Friday, July 14, 2023 and will run through Saturday, August 26, 2023. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a steep wooden stairwell. Haley Takahashi is a printmaker and mixed media artist based in Fort Collins, Colorado. She received an MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2023 and a BFA from The University Of Colorado, Boulder in 2019. Her work has been featured in many shows nationally and internationally, including Print Santa Fe’s 5x5 at the Zane Bennett Gallery of Contemporary Art and The Sztuika Na Miejscu in Worclaw, Poland. Her work is founded in an examination of identity, escapism, and internal space from her experience as a mixed race Japanese-American woman.

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit

Reception July 14, 6:30-8 PM

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tue-Thu 10 AM - 4 PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Featuring more than 20 works representing mid 1960’s to the present

Judy Kelley Jorden
Received a BFA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, with further studies in Art Education Department, Fine Arts Department and workshops at Arrowmont. Art Educator for 31 years in all grade levels for the Knox County School System. After retirement worked for UTK Art Ed department as clinical faculty member supervising art interns working toward their Master’s degree and assisting in some graduate classes for 9 yrs. Current Member of TN Watercolor, Knoxville Watercolor, Art Group 21 and COMMA, Thursday Painting. (Art groups which share educational experiences, encouragement and exhibitions.)

Artist’s Statement and Current Exhibited Work
My artwork during my undergraduate years was influenced by my teachers Walter Stevens and Carl Sublett where I worked more abstractly in oils and acrylic. I have always loved to draw and found subjects like portraits, the human figure and objects from nature to be my main focus. During my time at Arrowmont and other workshops, I started working in pastels, gouache and watercolor. Studying with Marcia Goldenstein and Tom Riesing, I was encouraged to look at the landscape objects and the figure in my own unique ways. My development of paintings began to show my interest in plants and objects of metal; depicting closeup objects, with contrasting textures, emphasizing linear strokes to show movement, the use of diagonals to increase the drama in the composition, and contrasting complementary colors. In later observations, I arranged combinations of photographs that had similar shapes but were from different contrasting images, like the shape of the sunflower with the shape of a brake drum.

The subject matter of my artwork was also influenced by the various neighborhoods where I taught. I became acquainted with a local merchant, where I became fascinated with the patterning of the fabric she sold. Working from my photos taken at the celebration of the Kuumba Festival, held in our area, I depicted these events in my paintings.

From attending music and dance performances, I was influenced by an artist Norman Madigan and the way he used light to develop layers of shapes and colors to distinguish and overlap the foreground, middle ground and background on the Circle Modern dancers as they were performing. I tried to carry this over in my gestural sketches during performances and paintings of dancers, in city scapes and the landscape.

I then began searching out sites of discarded trucks, machinery parts, or other types of discarded metal. I used this in smaller paintings or in series of works including organic foliage to contrast with the rusted metal, focusing on texture and color tones. Another side interest has led me to simplifying the forms, taking away from the emphasis on the subject matter to flatten the gestural shapes in an abstract way.

In the past few years my latest work has come from flowers, plants and trees found in the UTK gardens, in my own yard and other sites. Some of these paintings emphasizing plants have also included metal sculpture found on the UTK gardens site. My work in this series has been about the arrangement of plants and the background. I continue to describe the textured details seen, the strong use of intense color, and the relationship of movement that is created by contrasting these forms to one another. I am intrigued by the overall use of breaking up the various areas of the composition with areas of realism to stylized, and then abstraction.

At Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Art Guild member and award-winning potter, John Michael Jr. will be the featured artist for the month of July, and will be honored at the Fun and Wine First Friday Reception on Friday, July 7 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive.

The public is invited to come to this free event and enjoy a glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage, visit with John and other artists, and view a wonderful variety of artwork. Light refreshments will also be served.

John Michael Jr. moved to Fairfield Glade with his wife, Josette, 4 years ago from Illinois where he owned a successful construction company. To help reduce the stress of long hours in the business, he started to toy with several art mediums from stained glass to blowing glass to making and refinishing furniture but his true love became pottery. John was very active with the pottery class at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois for many years and took several awards through their judged art shows. He was also involved with the State Veterans Art League and won several awards and recognition at their shows. After John sold his business to prepare for retirement, he started to teach pottery in his home where he had a large studio. After moving to Fairfield Glade, John and Josette joined the Art Guild before even closing on their new home. John started teaching classes here to neighbors only a few months after moving in. His pottery shows a wide range of creative designs and pottery techniques. He looks forward to sharing his artwork and his passion for pottery with the public.

Gallery: Mon-Sat 9-4. Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

The Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery will exhibit the photo works of Marianne Woodside from July 2-August 30. The gallery is located inside the church at 6500 Northshore Drive, Knoxville, 37919. Viewing hours are 9-4 weekdays and 9-noon on Sunday. For more info, please contact the artist -- marianne.woodside@gmail.com.

Marianne Woodside is a professor emerita from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In her career at UTK, she integrated responsibilities of teaching, administration, research and writing in human services and counselor education. During the last ten years, with the encouragement from family and friends, especially photographer Tom Owens, Marianne has expanded her interest in photography and her ideas of artistic expression. Opportunities for travel to such venues as Central America, South America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Iceland have offered time to capture exotic photographs beyond her daily experiences. And, because of her husband Phil’s willingness to make time for photography (stopping the car at a moment’s notice), Marianne finds intriguing subjects close to home. Her subjects range from still life images within a natural context, landscapes, and flora and fauna.

An interest in photographing glass has provided Marianne an additional way of expressing the relationship between man-made objects, nature, light, and color. Marianne has been fortunate to find support from the Arts & Culture Alliance and has shown her work at the Emporium Center. Her art has been selected for McGhee Tyson Arts and the Airport exhibit, the Arts & Cultural Alliance National Juried Exhibit, the Knoxville Photo Exhibition, and the Oak Ridge Art Center. She has also shown her work at the Knoxville Golden Roast Coffee Shop, the Knoxville Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Gallery, the Westminster Presbyterian Schilling Gallery, the Awaken Coffee Shop, and Maryville’s Asbury Place.

Photography is an important part of Marianne’s life. She also spends time writing, playing the guitar, hiking, and traveling. Marianne is devoted to her husband Phil, their three children, Michael, Cathy, and Donna Lee and their respective spouses and their grandchildren. And then, there is, of course, their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Clyde, who resides with Marianne and Phil in Maryville, Tennessee.

Marianne believes in the magical qualities of photography. Technical knowledge and skills support the creation of lovely, interesting, and whimsical images. At times, the outcome is beyond the expectation of the artist. To create these exceptional photographic moments, Marianne looks for ways to combine colors, lights, shapes, and textures to evoke a viewer’s mood or emotion. It is in nature that she finds many of her favorite subjects. You can find representations of Marianne’s images on her website (www.mariannewoodsidephotography.com) and her new Instagram account (@mariannewoodside).